PARSIPPANY — Marie Herman stood alone on the sidewalk. But not because she came that way.

Herman needed room to yell and wave her red and
blue pom-pons. The Parsippany-Troy East baseball team that reached the Little
League World Series was about to pass in a firetruck en route to a celebration
at Veterans Memorial Park Sunday. And the 68-year-old didn't want to knock out
someone while cheering.

About a thousand fans — most wearing red shirts
with the club's "One Team One Goal" mantra on the back — showed their
support for the 12-U club that grabbed attention throughout the state during
its journey to youth baseball's brightest stage.

They came early and left late.

They cheered during speeches from Parsippany
Mayor James Barberio, league president John Bucciarelli and manager Mike
Ruggiero.

They stood in lines dozens deep for autographs
from kids half their age.

"I feel like a star here"
left-fielder Alex Cavaluzzo said after finally finding a spot to write his name
on a signature-crowded baseball.

For most of them, the cheering started weeks
ago. Parsippany-Troy East spent 21 days on the road during its run, which ended
with 5-4 extra-inning loss to California in South Williamsport, Pa., Monday.
The team returned Friday after playing a friendly exhibition game Thursday
against Canada.

And though most wanted to watch the boys bring
home the Little League World Series championship, there was a silver-lining for
some.

View full sizeBrendan Kuty/NJ.comParsippany-Troy East fan Marie Herman, 68, waves her pom-pons as the all-star team that reached the Little League World Series celebrates at Veterans Memorial Park Sunday.

"I'm just glad to have my son home,"
said Laura Scannelli, mother of catcher Anthony.

But before normal life resumes — school starts
in a few weeks, after all — the boys were given a hero's welcome. The club
arrived at the field in a motorcade of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances.
They high-fived and smiled and posed for pictures on their way to the stage,
where Barberio gave each of them a key to the city.

Said Bucciarelli, "It truly brought the
whole town together. You can't picture anything better than that. The best view
in the world was watching three big buses driving down [Route] 80, ready to
cheer on these guys."

"As proud as I am of these guys of what
they did on the the field, their character and dignity off the field spoke more
than their talent on the field."

Barberio had a surprise for one of the players.
He said a Bridgewater man who had lost his house to flooding had contacted him
after hearing Tropical Storm Irene destroyed Emil Matti's home last year. The
man, who wanted to remain anonymous, Barberio said, gave Matti a signed Mickey
Mantle photograph.

"Isn't this awesome?" the mayor said
to the crowd.

The baseball club had a surprise for him, too:
a Little League World Series jersey that is expected to be signed by each
player and will hang in Parsippany's municipal building "for years for people
to come and enjoy," Ruggierio said.

Ruggierio talked to the crowd for almost 20
minutes, thanking everyone he could, still astonished at the response his team
received from the community and the state.

"I'm so proud of these boys and how they
acted," he said. "You didn't even know the cameras were there when
they got started. It was all business in between the lines."

Ruggierio said he spotted a car with
"Proud to be PTE" splayed across its back windshield during the
motorcade to the field.